


Hands on the Wheel

by sarafena



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-19
Updated: 2014-05-19
Packaged: 2018-01-25 19:22:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1659632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarafena/pseuds/sarafena
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's one thing Shepard isn't an expert on.  Joker's there to help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hands on the Wheel

"I’m going to crash."

"Based in the fact we’re literally over a thousand light years from anything significant, it’s safe to say you are definitely not going to crash."

The Commander’s hands moved hesitantly over the controls, despite her usual confident demeanor. Joker’s chin rested on her shoulder, watching her work from behind her spot in between his legs; resisting the urge to make corrective comments. She was jerky and unpracticed, but surprisingly not that bad.

"Seriously, I’m going to hit something and then you’re going to whine and I don’t want to deal with that."

"I don’t _whine_.”

"Don’t you?" She smiled over he shoulder at him. She had a point but he’d be damned if he’d ever admit that.

"You’re doing pretty well for someone who’s never handled a frigate before, actually. But shut up and focus. Hands on the wheel."

"There is no wheel, Joker."

"It’s just an expression. Do you make a habit of contradicting the experts?"

It was enough to shut her up. Her lip caught in her teeth as she focused harder on the console fingers swiping in the various directions they needed to go; stabilizing the emissions output, ballancing the FTL speeds, maintaining the core balance. She never hinted at it, but Shepard knew more about her ship than she ever admitted out loud.

The Normandy jerked suddenly and the inertial dampers quickly correcting the motion. Only practiced personnel would feel it, and Joker was the only one of those still awake.

His hand caught her wrist and guided it in the few but precise strokes it took to counteract the turbulence. He felt her huff before he heard it, and he smiled despite himself. He knew she hated to get things wrong but— well, not everyone was perfect.  
She slumped back against him with a sigh as they evened out, and he took the cue to take over before sliding into auto-pilot and letting EDI take the helm.

"Better than last time." He mumbled into her shoulder, lips curling into a grin against it despite his best efforts.

"Shut up."

He could hear the grin on her face without seeing it, but he did as he was told, falling silent and letting the ambient sound of the ship’s hums and idle beeps encompass the cockpit. It was always peaceful here, but with her in his lap at the helm everything instantly became that much better.

"I don’t get how you have the patience for this." She finally said in a hushed tone. Joker perked up at that, kissing her neck softly before looking up to meet her eyes.

"I’ve had a lot if practice in that area."

She rolled her eyes before leaning their foreheads together, silent for a brief moment before sighing.

"I’m not that ba—"

However her sentence was going to end, he didn’t care. Silencing her with a kiss, hand wrapped around her neck to hold her close. There were so few moments they got to themselves these days, Joker was more than prepared to take advantage of every one of them.


End file.
